Primary finding
Probable cause
The pilot in command's selection of a sight unsuitable for landing. A factor in the accident was the ditch on the beach.
Investigator assessment
Analysis narrative
The pilot in command landed on beach. A loss of dirctional control followed impact with a ditch, resulting in collision with a log, damaging gear and fuselage. Pilot's recommendation was to make a better site survey of landing area.
Source record
Factual narrative
On December 8, 1993, at approximately 1130 Alaska standard time, a wheel equipped Aeronca 7AC airplane, N82594, lost control on a beach landing near Juneau and was substantially damaged. The private pilot had departed Juneau at an unknown time on the same day under 14 CFR Part 91 for personal reasons. No flight plan was filed and visual meteorological conditions prevailed. The pilot and his passenger were not injured. The pilot told the FAA that upon landing on a beach, the airplane hit a small dip in the beach and the airplane veered left and hit a log. He said that he had approximately 163 total flight hours and it was the first time that he had landed on that beach. An FAA airworthiness inspector confirmed that substantial damage had occurred to the airplane's fuselage where the main gear attached, as well as to one wing. -